"Yes," Julia responded reluctantly. "He is."

"And�how long have you known?"

"Since Friday," Julia said. "I didn't want to keep it from you, but I didn't want to hurt you either."



Nicholas's eyes rolled back in his head as he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his chest. The blood
from the stab wound in his stomach dripped from his body, formulating a pool around his torso.

As Nicholas faded in and out of consciousness, he could not hear the sound of people rushing to his
rescue. Still it made no difference, as no one did.



"You have to leave," Nicholas said.

"What the�you're supposed to be dead," Matt said. "You were murdered in your jail cell."

"You have to leave now," Nicholas said. "It's not safe. He'll kill you."

"Who?" Matt demanded.

"Vince is going to kill you," Nicholas said, grinning. "He's going to kill you. And then you'll be dead."



"Did you want to ask me something?" Coach Dalton asked.

"No, I wanted to tell you something," Matt replied.

"About what?"

"Whom," Matt corrected. "It's about Vincent Moore. I think he's doing drugs. In fact�I know he's
doing drugs."

Coach Dalton sighed quietly and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes," Matt answered. "And I can prove it."

Monday, November 25, 2002
9:26 am

"We're late," Kelli announced, climbing out of Chris's car. "I don't want to be late."

"I thought we already were," Chris muttered.

"I'll see you two inside," Kelli said, starting towards the building.

Blake began to do the same, but Chris stopped him before he could exit the car.

"Wait a minute," Chris said. "We need to have a conversation."

"No, we don't," Blake said. "I've already told you that I've forgotten about what happened."

"That's not good enough," Chris snapped, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.

"What do you want from me?" Blake demanded, glaring into the front seat and folding his arms.
"Do you want me to sign something? Do you want an oath in blood?"

"This isn't a joke, Blake. And I am not kidding. If you tell anyone what happened, if any of my
friends find out, or if anyone on the football team finds out�I'll kill you."

"He has to love me," Alexis told herself. "Ryan has to be in love with me, because I'm in love
with him."

"So, it is true then."

Alexis dropped her purse and jerked around to see Samantha Clark glaring at her, arms folded.

"You're in love with Ryan," Samantha said.

Alexis gasped.

"I think we need to have a little talk, Alexis."

"Ms. Clark," Alexis said nervously. "I didn't notice you standing there."

"I could tell," Samantha said, nodding. "People don't usually make declarations of love out in
public when they're directed towards someone who has a girlfriend. Or someone who's their
teacher."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alexis said. "I'm not in love with Ry -- Mr. Phillips."

"I just heard you Alexis. You said that you loved him."

Alexis bent over and picked up her purse, brushing hair out of her face. "I don't want to talk
about this."

Alexis tried to leave, but Samantha grabbed her arm.

"No, we are talking about this," Samantha snapped. "And we're going to talk about it with Mr.
Elliott."

"I don't need to speak with the principal," Alexis said. "Because there's nothing going on between
Mr. Phillips and me."

Alexis slung her purse over her shoulder and started towards the stairs.

"There are two varsity teams," Coach Dalton reminded Matt.

"I know," Matt said. "But what's important is that if Vince remains captain, it could threaten the
team's future."

"And how will you go about proving this?"

"Check his locker," Matt said. "I saw him buying earlier."

"From whom?" Coach Dalton demanded.

"I can't say," Matt said.

"Holden, if you're going to --"

"We should talk to my uncle," Matt said quickly. "Get him to handle this."

"I'll talk to him later today."

"The sooner the better," Matt said. "He's just finishing a meeting now."

"Everybody out," Alec said.

He turned to Vince, who was sitting in the passenger's seat. "I've go first period off today, you
want to hang out in the cafeteria?"

"Ministry center," Vince said. "I can beat Scott in another game of chess."

Vince climbed out of the car and pulled back his seat so that his sister, Akilah, and her friend,
Julia, could get out as well.

"Meet back here at five-thirty," Vince told them. "Alec has stage crew, I've got basketball
practice."

Akilah barely heard Vince, because she was too concerned with getting as far away from Alec
and Julia as possible.

"What's wrong with her?" Vince demanded.

"Girl stuff," Julia said quickly, jogging to catch up with Akilah.

"We should follow them," Vince said to Alec. "See what's up."

"We're not the Hardy Boys, Vince," Alec said.

He grabbed Vince's arm and dragged him towards the school. As they walked to the building,
they noticed Chris and Blake having what seemed like an argument in Chris's car.

"All right, but we can see what's up with them, right?"

Alec sighed and shook his head.

"Someone with your past should really watch it with the death threats," Blake said, clenching
his teeth.

"I'm not kidding," Chris told him. "I'm dead serious."

"Well, unless your last name ends with a vowel, I'm not buying," Blake replied. "And surprise,
surprise�it doesn�t."

"Just don't tell anybody about that�thing," Chris said.

"What, you mean our kiss? Our make-out session? Our swapping of spit?"

"Shut up."

"Go to hell."

Chris responded by punching Blake in the face. His fist connected with Blake's nose.

"Ow!" Blake cried out, reaching up to grab his nose. "You bastard! What'd you go and do that
for?"

"Made myself clear?"

"Crystal," Blake said, still holding his nose. "Just one more thing."

"What?"

Blake quickly removed his hand from his nose and reached for Chris's car keys. Blake pulled
them out of the ignition and clutched them in his hand.

He climbed out of Chris's, dragging his backpack with.

"Give me back my goddamn keys!" Chris shouted, climbing out of the car as well.

He face Blake down, glaring at him intensely.

"Now," Chris snapped.

"Sure," Blake held out the keys for Chris to grab them.

As Chris reached for the keys, Blake snatched them back and flung them across the parking lot.
The keys landed a few feet away, buried in a large pile of leaves.

Blake grinned. "Go fish."

"I am going to kick your ass," Chris snarled, turning around to search for his keys.

Blake slung his backpack over his shoulder and started toward the school.

"Mr. Hanley," Vince said. "Good morning."

"Not quite a good morning, Vincent," Michael responded. "Not for you a least."

"I'm sorry, I don't follow," Vince said, confused.

"Come with me, Vincent," Michael said. "We're going to take a little trip to the locker room."

"I'm not sure what this is about, but sure," Vince agreed.

He started towards the basement, where the locker room was, and Alec followed.

"This doesn't concern you," Michael told Alec.

Alec started to protest, but Vince cut him off.

"I'll meet you in the Ministry Center later," Vince said.

"But I should --"

"Don't worry about it," Vince said. "Everything will be fine."

"I don't buy that," Samantha said, following Alexis down the hallway. "I heard about your little
journal."

Alexis paused dead in her tracks.

"You what?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Samantha said. "Your journal. The one where you wrote about your
sexual fantasies with my boyfriend. And I know you left school with him on Friday, and I also
know that I couldn't reach him all weekend. So what exactly happened?"

"Stay the hell away from me," Alexis snapped.

"Don't talk to me like that," Samantha said. "I am a teacher. I am an adult. And when I ask you a
question, I demand an answer!"

"This is pathetic," Alexis said. "Look at yourself. You're acting like a high school student."

"You are a high school student!" Samantha cried.

Alexis frowned at Samantha, but her frown quickly turned into a devilish smile.

"Okay, you're right," Alexis admitted. "I do have feelings for your boyfriend. And they are more
than reciprocated, so I'd watch out if I were you. Because when he dumps you, you're going to
need someone to hold on to."

"We're going to see Mr. Elliot," Samantha said.

"No, we're not," Alexis said. "And if you come near me again, I will have to hurt you."

As he walked up the stairs, he saw someone sitting in the stairwell that looked familiar to him.
But it couldn't be the person Blake thought they were�he was dead.

"Nick?" Blake asked.

"Hey Blake," Nicholas replied.

"Okay, I must be going crazy here," Blake said.

"What, because I'm dead?" Nicholas asked. "You can talk to your dead brother, but not me?"

"I -- I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm not here to talk about that anyway. I'm here with a message for you�from your
brother."

Blake's eyes widened.

"We're about to open your locker and find out," Michael said, standing next to Coach Dalton and his
nephew, Matt.

"I had to tell them, Vince," Matt said. "I just couldn't let this go on any longer."

"Let what go on?" Vince demanded. "Will someone tell me what's going on here?"

Coach Dalton stepped forward and opened Vince's locker, revealing a bag of marijuana lying on
the bottom of it.

"Care to explain?" Michael asked.

"I'll tell you when I've got an answer," Vince replied.